Aaron Settipane/Wenn
14. MICHAEL RICHARDS' RACIST RANT
When Seinfeld's Michael Richards took the stage at L.A.'s Laugh Factory on Nov. 17, 2006, the audience was probably hoping for Kramer-ish pratfalls and copious arm-flailing. What they got instead was a racist diatribe directed at a group of African-American hecklers. Thanks to a cell-phone camera, the tirade immediately hit the Web, earning the actor nationwide condemnation. Three days later, Richards appeared via satellite on David Letterman's show, apologizing and pledging to seek help.
CAREER IMPACT: MINOR Richards hadn't acted on screen since his eponymous sitcom was canceled in 2000. While on a spiritual journey in Cambodia last month, he told the L.A. Times that he has quit stand-up comedy.
